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THE BIRDS OF ESSEX.
Family CICONIIDAE.
White Stork : Ciconia alba.
An occasional straggler to Britain, which has once or twice been
killed in Essex.
Yarrell says (25. ii. 356) "one was shot
near Yarmouth in May, 1842, and Thomas
Thornhill, Esq., favoured me with a notice
of one killed in Essex during the same
month." * In the last edition of his work, it is
stated (37. iv. 220) that " several examples have
also been obtained or observed in Suffolk and
Essex." Two are reported to have been cap-
tured near Tillingham, in Jan. 1879 (Chelms-
ford Chronicle, Jan. 31).
Black Stork : Ciconia nigra.
Another rare and occasional straggler to Britain, which has oc-
curred once in Essex.
Dr. Bree records (29. Apr. 23) that a fine female was killed on or about April
12th, 1881, on the Stour at Stoke-by-Nayland. It was shot by Mr. W. Frost
Mortimer of that parish and was preserved by Ambrose of Colchester. This
specimen was seen in 1888 in the possession of Mr. Mortimer, at Hastings,
by Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., who describes it as " a splendid bird and well stuffed."
Mr. Mortimer informed Mr. Gurney that he shot it in the month of May, and that it
was very tame. Strictly speaking, this is a Suffolk specimen. Canon Babington
says (46. 241) it was shot by Mr. Frost Mortimer, in a meadow on the Suffolk
side of the Stour in May, 1881, after having been observed flying down the river
valley, towards the sea, by Col. Rowley. Its crop was full of gudgeon.† Mr.
Fitch has kindly obtained the following additional particulars from Mr. Mortimer,
who still resides at Hastings, but does not now possess the bird, having sold it
about twoiyears ago for £10 to Sir Vauncey H. Crewe, of Calke Abbey, Derbyshire.
Mr. Mortimer says that he saw the bird, the day before it was shot, in his fields at
Boxford. He put it up, and its mode of flying with its neck out, as it flew down
the river, showed him at once that it was not a Heron. On the following morning
it was reported to one of Col. Rowley's keepers as having been seen in one of
the ponds on the estate, but in the afternoon, which was wet, it was reported by
one of Mr. Mortimer's men to be then sitting perched on some rails in one of
his fields. On his approach it flew into the back-river, where he got within five
* In the 3rd Ed. (30. ii. 558) the date differs and the passage reads : one " was shot at Brey-
don, near Yarmouth, in 1852, and Thomas Thornhill Esq., favoured me with a notice of one
killed in Essex during the same year."
† The specimen said (37. iv. 227) to have been " killed betweeen July and 8th of September,
1833, near Rainham, in Essex " (40. viii. 429) is not an Essex specimen at all, having been killed
at Rainham in Kent.